Mercedes-Benz is preparing a light late-in-life face lift for the E-class, and that may include an entry-level E300 for the 2013 model year. Paperwork the company filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration includes entries for an E300 and an E300 4Matic. Each is described as a sedan with a 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine. An engine of the same displacement is listed for the 2013 C300 4Matic. Last year’s C300 had a 3.0-liter V-6.

An E300 4Matic was launched in Canada just this past February, and uses a detuned version of the 3.5-liter V-6 from the E350. The E300’s six still has direct injection, but makes 248 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque instead of the E350’s 302 and 273. The Canadian E300’s output numbers seem just right for a U.S.-market E300, as well as for a revised C300 4Matic. The E-class doesn’t have an entry-level model comparable to BMW’s 240-hp 528i or Audi’s 211-hp A6 2.0T. Those cars use turbocharged four-cylinder engines and sticker several thousand dollars below Benz’s current least-expensive E, the $51,365 E350. An E300 in the mid-to-upper $40s would make sense, and the E350 could pick up more standard equipment and a higher starting price. Presumably, the E300 would drink a little less fuel than the E350 does, a thirsty old boy with an EPA rating of 23 combined mpg.

The C300 4Matic, on the other hand, has an older 3.0-liter engine that’s too close in output to the entry-level C250 (228 hp/221 lb-ft versus 201/229) and is still shy of the BMW 328i, among others in the luxo-sedan segment.

Mercedes-Benz USA doesn’t comment on future products, but we did speak with someone at NHTSA. He explained that manufacturers include vehicle listings in this type of documentation because sales are either planned in the coming model year—or because a decision isn’t yet made, and a company needs to keep the door open by filing all requisite government papers. With a more–entry-level E-class offering and more-powerful C300 needed in the U.S. lineup, and Canada getting the E300 just a few months ago, we don’t think Benz is just taking precautions. If we’re right, look for a debut at the end of the summer, when Mercedes typically rolls out its updates.
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